Esophageal Spasms

Hi @laurieann2025, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! I am so sorry you are having to deal with esophageal spasms since your recent endoscopy. Your episodes of having difficulty swallowing and breathing sound scary.

I had an experience waking up in the middle of the night thinking I forgot to breathe. That didn’t happen. I remember my husband driving me around to find something with peppermint oil to help with symptoms I was having, and ended up feeling like I was eating Peppermint Altoids, nonstop. I didn’t know what was happening.

I am including a couple links here you may find helpful as you wait for others to comment:
- Peppermint/spasm related Connect conversation: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/esophageal-spasms-peppermint-lozenges/
- Mayo Clinic overview: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/esophageal-spasms/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20372255

Do you think the current medication you are taking comes into play at all? It may help others to understand more so they know how to respond, if you are willing. What prompted you to get an endoscopy, and what feedback did your doctor provide?

I had a Heller myotomy and Nissen fundoplication done 8 years ago and also several upper endoscopies with esophageal dilation, but still have esophageal spasms that can get quite painful. Feels like food does not want to go down, chest pain and pressure that feel like heart attack. I had cardiac evaluation which was normal. My gastroenterologist said that there is a medication that can help, but it causes constipation which means I cannot take it, suffering from severe constipation also. At this point, I guess I just need to eat slowly and keep anxiety down and learn to live with it. It seems that after you reach 70 everything becomes chronic and incurable!

I will definitely check out the links, thank you very much.
I did some research on the medication I take, I didn't find any information that esophageal spasms are a side effect.
Before I had the endoscopy done, I was having on going heartburn, acid refux pretty much every day for approximately a year.
along with on and off shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, dry cough, hoarseness.
One morning, I woke up at 3am, I felt like I couldn't breath or swallow , which ended up with a trip to ER, needless to say, it was a very scary event, but at the time I didn't connect this incident to the other symptoms I was having relating to acid refux, heartburn, or the esophageal hiatal hernia.
The ER doctor is the one who suggested
I make a GI appointment after doing some tests to confirm my symptoms weren't related to my heart, which I did a week later. The GI was the one who suggested the endoscopy,
Bravo 48hr Ph test, and a colonoscopy, which they did all on the same visit.
The endoscopy result showed, the esophageal sliding hiatal herina, esophageal spasms.
The GI plan; Aggressively managing reflex symptoms either with, trialing PPI therapy or non PPI treatments like Baclofen or Alginate,
Promility agents, or surgical consultation.

I'm sorry you are still dealing with painful spasms. I know for myself, they can create alot of anxiety, especially when you feel like you can't breathe or swallow.
Take care.

@jlharsh strange how different bodies work … I too have a hiatal hernia with reflux, and peppermint in any way, shape or form makes my condition worse! 🤷🏼‍♀️

I'm following this discussion hoping to find some answers. The first time I had a Laryngospasm was about 30 years ago. I had a bad cold, or flu, and was having trouble breathing to begin with. I woke up coughing and each time I coughed out air, I couldn't get air back into my lungs and within a few seconds, couldn't breathe, gasping for air. It probably lasted 10 or 15 seconds but felt like forever and I thought I was gonna die. Eventually, obviously, it subsided and I assumed I was over it. I was not. Since then I now get rectal spasms, usually waking me in the middle of the night. They can be surprisingly painful. I thought it was Levator Ani syndrome but my symptoms don't fit the definition. I've had a barium enema, had scopes and evaluations and there is no organic reason for the spasms. I'm currently taking gaba and it's helped with the frequency and amplitude of the pain, but every now and then, one sneaks thru. I still get the laryngal or esophageal spasms...can't breath, gasping for air, can't talk...Any feedback/input would be appreciated

Post Covid I was diagnosed with EGJOO (Esophageal junction outflow obstruction) which means my esophagus, where it meets my stomach spasms so much that it will not empty into stomach. So it either sits there and causes horrible N&V (gastroparesis) or comes up the following morning.
Also, diagnosed with Achalasia (mid esophagus) which feels like your having a heart attack, last but not least, I have upper esophageal hypertension which gives me problems swallowing liquids and having mucus buildup during the night where I aspirate.
Been to Mayo, unfortunately no procedure or surgery will eliminate all problems.
Have you had an esophageal manometry or a modified barium swallow?
These are very important diagnostic tools.
Good luck to you

Ugh, that sounds horrible. And I thought I had it bad. I haven't pursued any other diagnostics since this all started. It sounds like I might have 1 of your dysfunctions...where food gets stuck on the way down at the esophagus and yes...it feels like a heart attack. Super painful. I suspect that, after a plethora of tests, they either won't find anything or, like you, won't be able to do anything about it. Do you take any meds for any of this? Thank you for reaching out

Have you had your magnesium levels checked. These meds can cause muscle spasms due to low Mag. along with heart palpitations.

I have no reflux thank goodness, however the one surgery that can fix lower esophagus (cutting the muscle) will then cause severe reflux.
The only thing that helps with chest pain is Clonazepam (I have tried nitro, calcium channel blockers but no relief.
I absolutely cannot take any NSAIDS due to it causing tremendous pain.